node-minify

name	node-minify
description	Compress JavaScript, CSS, HTML, JSON, and image files using node-minify library. Use when: minifying/compressing assets, bundling JS/CSS files, optimizing images (WebP/AVIF), concatenating files, or when user mentions "node-minify", "@node-minify", "minification". Triggers: "minify", "compress JS/CSS", "bundle", "optimize images", "reduce file size".

node-minify

Lightweight Node.js minification library supporting JS, CSS, HTML, JSON, and images.

Installation

# Core + compressor(s)
npm install @node-minify/core @node-minify/terser

Quick Start

import { minify } from "@node-minify/core";
import { terser } from "@node-minify/terser";

// File-based
await minify({
  compressor: terser,
  input: "src/app.js",
  output: "dist/app.min.js",
});

// In-memory
const result = await minify({
  compressor: terser,
  content: "const x = 1; const y = 2;",
});

Compressor Selection

Type	Recommended	Alternatives
JS	terser (modern, fast)	esbuild (fastest), swc, oxc, uglify-js, google-closure-compiler (advanced optimizations, requires Java)
CSS	lightningcss (Rust, fastest)	esbuild, clean-css, cssnano, csso
HTML	html-minifier	minify-html
JSON	jsonminify	-
Images	sharp (WebP/AVIF)	svgo (SVG), imagemin (PNG/JPEG/GIF)
Utility	no-compress	Pass-through for concatenation without minification

Deprecated (avoid): babel-minify, uglify-es, yui, crass, sqwish

API Reference

Settings (user input)

type Settings = {
  compressor: Compressor;           // Required: compressor function
  input?: string | string[];        // File path(s) or glob: "src/*.js"
  output?: string | string[];       // Output path(s) or pattern: "$1.min.js"
  content?: string | Buffer;        // In-memory content (skip input/output)
  options?: Record<string, unknown>; // Compressor-specific options
  type?: "js" | "css";              // Required for esbuild, yui
  publicFolder?: string;            // Prepend to input paths
  replaceInPlace?: boolean;         // Overwrite input files
  silence?: boolean;                // Suppress console output
};
// Additional options: buffer, timeout, allowEmptyOutput (see TypeScript types)

Return Value

minify() returns Promise<string> - the minified content.

Common Patterns

Glob/Wildcards

// All JS files in folder
await minify({
  compressor: terser,
  input: "src/**/*.js",
  output: "dist/bundle.min.js",
});

Multiple Files -> Multiple Outputs

// $1 = original filename
await minify({
  compressor: terser,
  input: ["a.js", "b.js"],
  output: "$1.min.js", // -> a.min.js, b.min.js
});

Source Maps

await minify({
  compressor: terser,
  input: "app.js",
  output: "app.min.js",
  options: { sourceMap: true },
});

CSS with esbuild

import { esbuild } from "@node-minify/esbuild";

await minify({
  compressor: esbuild,
  type: "css", // Required for esbuild
  input: "styles.css",
  output: "styles.min.css",
});

Image Optimization (WebP/AVIF)

import { sharp } from "@node-minify/sharp";

await minify({
  compressor: sharp,
  input: "image.png",
  output: "image.webp",
  options: { format: "webp", quality: 80 },
});

HTML Minification

import { htmlMinifier } from "@node-minify/html-minifier";

await minify({
  compressor: htmlMinifier,
  input: "index.html",
  output: "index.min.html",
  options: {
    collapseWhitespace: true,
    removeComments: true,
  },
});

Compressor-Specific Notes

Compressor	Notes
esbuild	Requires type: "js" or type: "css"
lightningcss	Uses Buffer internally, supports targets: { chrome: 95 }
google-closure-compiler	Requires Java; advanced optimizations available
yui	Deprecated; requires Java; needs type

Error Handling

try {
  await minify({ compressor: terser, input: "app.js", output: "app.min.js" });
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof Error) {
    console.error("Minification failed:", err.message);
  }
}

CLI

npx node-minify --compressor terser --input src/app.js --output dist/app.min.js